TICATS CONTROVERSY

“It is a sad day when a person neither accused, nor convicted, of a crime can be denied the opportunity to earn a living…” “I will not be renewing my season tickets until after Scott Mitchell, Kent Austin and June Jones have left the team.”

As a longtime Ticat fan, I had a bit of fun at a family gathering on the weekend. I happily announced to the group that the Ticats had not lost this weekend! (Of course, after the shock and awe dissipated, I had to add that they didn’t play this weekend.)

But I was wrong. They lost big time with fans and nonfans alike with the decision to hire Art Briles. What on earth were they thinking?

(Perhaps they were caught up in the Trump mentality where winning is everything. Integrity and dignity lose all meaning in that ideology.) The baggage attached to Briles was not a “pile of unpaid traffic tickets,” but a serious, repugnant ongoing crisis that had him spurned by the American college system. That alone should have waved a ton of red flags. The fact that the decision has been reversed brings little comfort.

More importantly, for a business to lose sight of the character of the very demographic they have been courting — hard-working, decent folk proud of their city and their team — is a huge mistake. For most fans, the community efforts by players present and past was part and parcel of supporting a team with heart, even when the stats weren’t impressive — the team was part of the Hamilton ethos.

As Mitchell believes in second chances, I guess we will have to give the operation one. Just remember, this may not be baseball, but three strikes and you’re out! Paula Kent Kuchmey, Caledonia